Her New Year's Fortune

The Fortunes of Texas: Southern Invasion #1

by Allison Leigh

It's New Year's Eve, and there are five Fortunes sitting at the bar—five single, way-too-handsome Fortunes dressed in wedding attire. It's enough to make any red-blooded single girl start thinking wistful thoughts—especially about Wyatt Fortune. Still, Sarah-Jane Early doesn't bother to fantasize. There's no way that wealthy, charismatic hunk would date a plain Jane like her….

They say New Year's is a time for new beginnings, and Wyatt Fortune is sorely in need of one. After some startling family news, he has vowed to sever all ties and start fresh in Red Rock. The beautiful young woman at the bar—Savannah, she tells him—is nothing more than a momentary diversion. But could this be a moment that leads to a lifetime?

Genres: Romance, Harlequin

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 18, 2012

About the author

A frequent name on bestseller lists, Allison Leigh's highpoint as a writer is hearing from readers that they laughed, cried or lost sleep while reading her books. She’s blessed with an immensely patient family who doesn’t mind (much) her time spent at her computer and who gives her the kind of love she wants her readers to share in every page. Stay in touch at www.allisonleigh.com.

Reviews

[Lily (Night Owl Book Cafe) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Courtesy of Harlequin through Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

Sarah-Jane Early is a hostess at a wedding, when she seats five very handsome men, one in particular captures her attention. Figuring she is way out of his league, does not stop the young woman from sneaking a gaze here and there at the man who at first seems uninterested. With a New Year, Wyatt Fortune is looking for a new beginning, especially after acquiring some unsettling news from his father, and Red Rock seems to be the perfect place to start. After running into the hostess late after everyone has left home from the wedding, Wyatt somehow manages to convince the younger woman for a dinner date with him – as he himself had a hard time keeping his eyes and attention away from the young hostess.

Sarah-Jane does not believe that a handsome rich man like Wyatt would notice the plain little Sarah-Jane let alone want a date with her, so she lies and makes up a different name for herself in hopes this alter-ego fulfills the fantasy for the night. Unfortunately one night turns into more than Sarah-Jane had prepared herself for.

Wow... and I mean wow. I loved this book so much I devoured it in a day. I loved the characters, and I loved the story. Sarah-Jane think she is a plain old Sarah-Jane with nothing going for her. She works at a knitting shop and have very little excitement in her life. Then Wyatt Fortune comes into her life and sends just the right amount of spark back into her life. Wyatt was amazing, I love how he was trying to woo Sarah-Jane, it was just downright adorable and kind of sexy. He was simply dashing, aside from being a trouble and torn soul thanks to his father and the family issues that he is harboring. Wyatt just keeps coming back, trying to shower Sarah-Jane with amazingly sweet moments.

Sarah-Jane was a character I identified with, as she struggles from some body image issues and a mother who was very hard on her about her weight. Her character felt so real as an average woman, she wasn't perfect but she was sweet and fit into the story well. It was hard not to root for her and Wyatt even thought he never pictured himself on one knee. By the end of the story my heart was clenching and I found my eyes watering. There were touching moments as well as some downright sad moments, but I couldn't find myself putting the book down. Wyatt and Sarah-Jane truly stole a piece of my heart. If you are looking for a quick sweet and slightly sexy read, you should definitely give this one a shot.

[Andrea Lujano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Protagonistas: Sarah-Jane & Wyatt

Profesiones: Tejedora & Empresario

Pais: USA

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Her New Year's Fortune by Allison Leigh
4 STARS

I liked this story. There was a love scene I skimmed over. I hope to see the next book in the series out soon.
Sarah-Jane Early was hostess at a wedding party. She seated a group of 5 good looking men that were part of the family and they all were without dates. One of the guys got her attention. Sarah-Jane has only had a couple of dates in her life.
Wyatt Fortune was at the family wedding with his 3 brothers and cousin for a week.
They at first did not want to leave work for a week and now none of his brothers are
going back to work in the family business. He talked them into it. Thier dad had raised them to be one time owners. Now he went behind thier backs and did something so they are protesting him.
Wyatt has not been drinking as much as his brothers at the bar. He knows he can't handle it as easely as them. He has been watching the hostess as she was helping with taking the glasses back to kitchen.
Wyatt stayed behind when his brothers were going to a different place. He sat in his car thinking when Sarah-Jane asked him if he wanted her to call him a cab. He asked her out and for her number. Sarah gave him a fake name and number.
Next day he ran into her at his hotel and got her to agree to have dinner with him.
He then tries to search for her but she was just helping out at the restraunt.
Wyatt is not used to working to just get someone to even have lunch with him.
They both are having issues with thier parents not being thier for them or they are thier the wrong way.
I look forward to seeing what happens with the rest of the fortunes in Red Rocks.
I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review from Netgalley.
Publisher: Harlequin (December 18, 2012) Imprint Harlequin Special Edition 224 pages

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book. Loved both Sarah-Jane and Wyatt. Sarah-Jane saw all those good looking guys sitting at the bar, but knew they were way out of her league - especially Wyatt. He has also been watching her. When he sees her again the next day he asks her out - she says yes, but also gives him a fake name to give herself the courage to step outside her comfort zone. Thanks to her mother and some other things, Sarah-Jane has some serious self esteem issues. She sees herself as fat, plain and boring. After their date she confesses her deception and is stunned when Wyatt still wants to see her. As good as she always feels when she is with him, she still has trouble seeing herself the way he does. Wyatt first saw her as simply a distraction from his problems, but she soon became much more. I really liked the way that he saw her as she really was and worked so hard to convince her of it. I loved the way that he started out so slowly, with lunches in the park rather than trying to overwhelm her with fancy dates. His tunnel vision about his father was a problem between them. He enjoys being with her more and more but the idea of loving her scares him. I liked the ending. I can see that the mystery of Wyatt's dad and his intentions will be a large part of the series.

[Meghann · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good book. Did I stay up late reading it? No. Am I having severe book letdown? No. It was okay. Your average Harlequin romance.

Sarah-Jane is a down on herself assistant manager of a knitting shop. She volunteered to help her boss as hostess to a wedding reception for the Fortunes, the wealthy celebrity family that everyone knows. She catches the eye of Wyatt Fortune. She has zero self confidence and can’t fathom that someone like Wyatt would actually like her.....except he does.

The book flowed nicely, the whole story takes place of the span of a few weeks so it’s kind of an instalove for the characters. I found myself annoyed after awhile with Sarah-Jane’s whining about how imperfect she is and how she doesn’t understand how Wyatt could like her. There was only one sex scene in the book and it was lukewarm at best.

All in all I gave it 3 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️. Great storyline but I never got emotionally attached.

[Melody Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

***2.5 - 3.0***

This was like a roller coaster. Even though the entire story moved slowly I still really liked it...until approx 70%. Could our hero be any less bright. I did enjoy most of Sarah-Jane and Wyatt but then Wyatt had to go and get all stupid on us around 70% and I don't feel like he was redeemed by the end of the book I was disappointed. Nor were any of the issues Sarah-Jane had with her parents resolved which was saddening. With Wyatt I didn't hear any groveling or begging for forgiveness and he was just so ready to walk away again.

I'm sorry to say that although there was one book in this series I really liked, overall I did not care for the series and can't recommend it.

[Susan McClintock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another okay book in this series. Wyatt Fortune sees something in Sarah-Jane while she is working at his cousin’s wedding. She sees him in the parking lot and ends up making up a fake name, Savanna, and a fake boyfriend. Not to be deterred, Wyatt makes a play for the lovely “Savanna,” and they go out. They eventually clear up the initial fibs Sarah-Jane told and start to see each other. Wyatt has daddy issues, and Sarah has super low self-esteem. They both have to get past these issues to get to their happily ever after.

[Minga Dotson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarah-Jane was doing her boss a favor, filling in at Red for a family wedding so all the regular workers could attend. Her eye is caught by a group of men, several of the Fortune family, there for the wedding. She catches the eye of one of them too, Wyatt Fortune, and soon he is after her, but family drama pops up and gets in their way. Will Wyatt be able to pull out of the tailspin he finds himself in when it comes to sweet Sarah-Jane?

[gailene shearer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her New Year's Fortune

This book reminded me how much I love to read. It was extremely interesting and exciting to read and enjoyable to read throughout the story. I highly recommend it to everyone. Thank you,
Gailene Shearer

[Laura Chapman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A man of Fortune sweeps into a knitting shop manager's life after the clock strikes midnight in Allison Leigh's Her New Year's Fortune.

Sarah-Jane Early is most comfortable teaching knitting classes and making patterns to post on the shop's website, but agrees to hostess a wedding reception on New Year's Eve to help a friend. The reception happens to be for the Fortune family, local royalty. She catches the eye of none other than Wyatt Fortune, handsome cousin of the bride and a stud in his own right. Surprised by his interest, she gives him a fake name, certain his attention comes from alcohol rather than true feeling. When they meet again, and he persists in becoming better acquainted, Sarah-Jane agrees to go on a date with him.

Wyatt has his own secrets. A recent disagreement with his father has left him angry and determined to start a new life. The small Texas town seems like an ideal place to set roots, giving him more distance from his home in Atlanta. Sarah-Jane -- or whatever her name is -- offers a perfect distraction from his otherwise hectic life.

Neither counts on falling in love or revealing much of themselves. But as Sarah-Jane and Wyatt spend more time together, they find life has other plans.

I have mixed emotions about this book. It started off quickly and page-turning for me. The idea of two people meeting as the new year starts is sweet, and the added element of a man desperately seeking his mystery girl was intriguing. But it slowed down a bit in the middle and touched upon a couple of plot elements that were never fully resolved, which distracted me from the main goal: getting these crazy lovebirds together.

Her New Year's Fortune is about a handsome millionaire falling for a girl who thinks she is an ugly duck when she is really a swan. While I like this plot element, it's repeated mentioning in this instance made me want to smack sweet Sarah-Jane and say, "Get over yourself. You're hot. Live with it." With so much of her thinking she's not gorgeous and Wyatt saying she was, at some point I wondered what they were doing together. While a little sizzle eventually came toward the last part of the book, a bit more of a hot spark early on would have made a difference. I'm not talking about sex, either, just sexual tension.

A few events that happened during the course of the storyline would have been interesting to see unfold. Instead of having the scene right there for readers to see, we heard about it after the fact like in a Greek drama. At both Wyatt and Sarah-Jane were a little too forgiving of each other and some of the conflicts in their lives. When they happened, the resolutions were ultimately good, but a little more struggle to achieve them would have made it great.

This next point is going to make me sound crazy, but I'm going to say it. For being a book titled after a holiday, I was bummed out by how little New Year's Eve or New Year's Day actually happened in the story. Both holidays were basically brushed over, which is quickly becoming one of my biggest pet peeves. My message to the publishing world: Give me a champagne toast or a kiss at midnight, and I will be a happier girl. Or change the title of the book to something less holiday related. Thank you.

Despite some areas that could benefit from a little more development, I enjoyed this story and found it a cute, light read. The heroine is the assistant manager of a knitting shop, which is unique and awesome. Initially, I wondered what someone with a MBA was doing with a job like that, but realized Sarah-Jane was working for love not money. For me, this fact gave her more character development and showed her strong backbone more so than the tense relationship with her never satisfied mother or her self-image issues.

Until he becomes a bit of a dick toward the end -- and I think he got off the hook a little too easily not once, but twice -- Wyatt earns a lot of redemption for everything he did leading up to it. For one, the man is adorably persistent in wooing Sarah-Jane. He calls around and searches for her and does not quit until he finds her. He shows he can be thoughtful in the gifts and other considerations he shares with her. He also proves to be more forgiving than Sarah-Jane by letting her initial deceit go quickly and actually listening to her explanation for why she did it. He wins his biggest points by constantly trying to get Sarah-Jane to see herself as the beautiful, talented woman she has become.

Ultimately, Her New Year's Fortune was a sweet, light read for romance fans looking to get lost in a story with Southern flare and family roots.

Rating: 3.5

Originally published at www.change-the-word.blogspot.com.

[Hsiau Wei · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tell the story of Sarah – Jane who is seems to have a low self esteemed, to the extent that she lied about her name when Wyatt Fortune seek her out after the reception where they met. Sarah-Jane, who is working in a knitting shop despite her master degree qualification, was curious when Wyatt ask her for her name and given Wyatt’s background, she tried to pretend to be someone that is more confident hence the fake name; Savannah. But when Wyatt finally tracked her down despite the fake name and contact number, she agreed to go out with him and soon, they found themselves attracted to each other. But Sarah- Jane is unable to accept that Wyatt who from the rich family will be attracted to her given her middle class background

I like Sarah – Jane and her humble self. From the start, Sarah – Jane is convince that there is no reason for Wyatt to love her even when he proposed to her. I guess her low self esteem is a result of her mother being too harsh on her and her body size. There are some sweet moments which i like i.e. the moment when Wyatt asked Sarah – Jane to call him after her trip back to her parent’s home. It just showed how much Wyatt care about her despite that he has no idea that he has fallen in love with her!

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Susan Dalley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. For a genre book, it was somewhat complex and well written. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: The Fortunes of Texas: Southern Invasion
Category: Heart & Home

[valentina · Rating 3 out of 5]

mucho drama absurdo, mala comunicación, malos entendidos, y de paso, no hay epílogo 😤